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The Legend of Dr. Funk
The idea of a "Polynesian cocktail" is somewhat misleading. While many tropical drinks carry names and imagery evoking Polynesia, most are actually Caribbean rum concoctions reinvented by American restaurateurs. One notable exception is the Dr. Funk, a distinctive libation named after a German-born physician—Dr. Bernhard Funk—who spent 31 years in the South Pacific practicing both medicine and mixology.
In 1879, Dr. Funk boarded a trading ship bound for his new home, Samoa, the “Pearl of the South Seas.” He became the first medical practitioner in the capital, Apia, where locals welcomed him as a long-awaited blessing—a fully trained physician and surgeon willing to serve the community.
Dr. Funk quickly gained notoriety, in part due to his brief and tumultuous marriage to Leonora Hayes, daughter of the infamous American pirate, Captain Bully Hayes. The Captain was notorious for blackbirding, gunrunning, alcohol smuggling and alleged piracy. Funk and Leonora’s union lasted just six months before ending in public disaster.
Despite this rocky start, by 1888, Funk had found lasting love, marrying Senitima, daughter of Chief Talea, a woman described as charming and delightful.
Beyond medicine, Dr. Funk had another claim to fame—his friendship with Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island. Funk served as Stevenson’s personal physician and was at his bedside when he passed in 1894. Stevenson once wrote of him:
“It would never do to quarrel with the doctor, and the doctor, though he tipples a little and gabbles much, is a good man whom I respect.”
But Funk’s legacy lives on in more than just words. His signature medicinal tonic, originally prescribed for those suffering from cafard (a deep melancholy), became a beloved local libation in the late 1800s and early 1900s—and remains a staple in the Pacific today.
His namesake cocktail will be featured on our menu, alongside eleven original tiki creations and nine classics.
“His own fame has spread not as a healer, but as a dram-decocter. From Samoa to Tahiti, ‘Dr. Funk!’ one hears in every club or bar.”
— White Shadows in the South Seas, Frederick O’Brien, 1920
Only a handful of photos of Dr. Bernhard Funk exist, but his legend endures—one sip at a time.
Dr. Funk in his early years.
Dr. Funk in his later years.
Dr. Funk & his wife, Senitima, at a wedding.
Dr. Funk's headstone in the Neubrandenburg Cemetery.